MORE than 60 horse riders braved the elements recently for a fun ride at the Tamar Trails at Gulworthy, raising over £700 for the Tamar Community Trust and South West Riders.

The Tamar Trails, a 25km network of multi-use trails in the Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, were created in the old mining area of Devon Great Consols as part of the Tamar Valley Mining Heritage project.

Many of the riders were new to the trails and were very appreciative of the well-made trails, interesting surroundings and beautiful views.

The ride was organise by Gretta Madigan of South West Riders, a bridleway group dedicated to improving off road riding. Gretta, who is a trustee of the Tamar Community Trust which manages the trails, said: ‘The main reason for the ride was to show riders what a wonderful place it is. So many riders are forced to ride on ever more dangerous roads so this was a very welcome change.

‘Riders came from as far as Exeter and nearly everyone said they would come back and explore the rest of the trails.’

South West Riders expressed thanks to the Tavistock Woodlands Estate and local farmers John and Rosie Steer for allowing them to park on private land as the normal car park was not big enough.